Letters to the Editor

I agree with Catherine Belter ("Message to Reduce TV Violence
Becoming Louder, Clearer,'' Nov. 3, 1993) that the time has come for
further action to reduce the violence on television. Children spend
more time watching TV than in any other activity, except sleep. By the
age of 18, the average child has spent about 165,000 hours in front of
a TV set. The same child will spend less than 13,000 hours in
school.

In addition to lobbying Congress to reduce TV violence, parents and
educators need to take a more active role on the local level. As Albert
J. Solnit, a psychiatrist at the Yale University Child Studies Center,
has observed: "You carefully choose your neighborhood, your child's
school, his pediatrician. You monitor his teachers, coaches,
friendships. Why should you pay any less attention to television?''

Parents and educators can make television a more positive influence
on their children by:

First, limiting a child's television time. The American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends keeping the viewing time to two hours or
less a day.

Second, watch and discuss television programs with your children.
Fred Rogers, the host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,'' tells this
anecdote: "A young child came up to me one day and asked, 'How did
you get out of the TV?' Ever since then I've been concerned with how
to help children understand that television pictures are only
pictures.''

Third, keep in mind quality as you select programs for your child
to view. High-quality programming includes documentaries, ballet, and
classic movies.

Fourth, become an advocate for more educational programming to
replace the violent programs. Many stations across the country are
making only a token effort to present educational programming by
airing shows at early hours. The 1990 Children's Television Act
requires stations to serve the educational and informational needs of
children.

Edward R. Murrow, the father of news broadcasting, concluded this
about TV: "This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it
can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are
determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and a
light in a box.''

Reed Markham
Director
College of Arts Retention and Enhancement
Services Program
California State Polytechnic University
Pomona, Calif.

George F. Allen, the Republican Governor-elect, did not propose tax
breaks for home schooling or vouchers to students from low-income
families to attend the public or private school of their choice. In his
Champion Schools Initiative, he did state that he would not oppose any
locally devised pilot plan that included some form of voucher for
specific services.

The stands of the Democratic candidate, Mary Sue Terry, did not win
her the backing of the 52,000-member Virginia Education Association.
Her stands won her the backing of the less-than-140-member Virginia
Education Association Political Action Committee, whose members are
also V.E.A. members. V.E.A.PAC members are the chairmen and chairwomen
of local and regional education-association political-action committees
and the executive committee they elect.

In Virginia, endorsement of state-office political candidates is
done by V.E.A.PAC, not the V.E.A. Endorsement of local-office political
candidates is done by local education PAC's, not local education
associations. There is quite a difference. PAC members are
education-association members; however, not all education-association
members are PAC members. Almost as many of Virginia's teachers are
Republicans as are Democrats, a V.E.A. survey shows.

Michael Farris, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor,
was identified in your story as calling for school vouchers and tax
credits for home schooling. In actuality, he called for tax credits for
parents of school-age children who attend other than a public
school.

Although biased political reporting occurs in many newspapers, we
educators are accustomed to relying on your accuracy.

Laura D. Fortune
Chair, Teacher Advisory Council to the Republican Party of
Virginia
Member V.E.A.PAC Executive Committee
Evington, Va.

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